Hardwood floors can give your home the most sophisticated look and they are one of the best flooring solutions available in the market. However, hardwood flooring is one of the most cost intensive flooring options and you actually need to take good care of it to ensure long life.
If you have installed hardwood flooring in your home recently, you actually need to take the best care and follow some measures to ensure the best protection and long life of the floor. Here are some tips that will inform you how you can protect your hardwood floors and keep them new for long.
- Scratches from abrasive dirt can destroy the finish of the hardwood flooring. So the best way is to lightly sweep the hardwood floor regularly to keep it clean from dusts. Using a vacuum cleaner can be most effective to complete the task.
- In case there is a liquid spillage on the floor, be it a soft drink, fruit juice or beer; wipe it off immediately using a soft cotton cloth. You can also use a lightly damp soft cotton cloth on the particular spot to remove the spillage completely.
- Use mats on every door. You need to keep the hardwood flooring protected from scratches and hence keeping the dirt and dust that comes in the room carried on the shoes and feet away is important. You can do that by putting floor mats on every door.
- You need to protect your hardwood flooring from the sharp legs of the furniture. So, before you take any furniture home, ensure that the legs of the furniture are covered with felt pads of good quality.
- Stilettoes are the worst enemy of hardwood flooring. They can scratch even a newly polished hardwood floor in the worst way. The best option to protect your hardwood flooring from the sharp heels is to make a rule of “no shoes in” in your home.
- High moisture can affect the hardwood flooring negatively and at the same time, minimum moisture level is not also very good for hardwoods. So maintain 40 to 50% humidity in your living room to keep the flooring in the right condition.
- Hardwood flooring can change color due to continuous exposure to light. So, either keep the curtains pulled in when the sun is high to protect the wood color from fading or alternatively you can ensure that the whole floor is lighted in the same way, so that there is a uniformity in the fading, which can give the flooring a naturally weathered look.
- Placing floor lamps on hardwood flooring is not best suggested particularly because it can change the color of the hardwood at that particular spot where the light reflects, making it a mismatch with the whole flooring.
- Keep one thing in mind that your hardwood flooring does not require solvent based cleaning regularly. Dry swiping is enough to keep it clean on a day to day basis. You need to give it a solvent cleaning only once in a while. While cleaning, never pour the cleaner directly on the floor and follow the instructions as mentioned in the bottle of the cleaner.
- One of the best ways to keep your hardwood flooring clean is to mop it with a mixture of water and vinegar. Always ensure that there is no residue on the floor left after you have cleaned it with the solution. It is best to wipe off the floor once again with a dry and soft cotton cloth after you have finished the wet mopping.
- To keep your hardwood flooring clean and shiny, you can simply mop it with olive oil instead of using wax based cleaners.
So, keep the above tips in mind on your day to day life and you are sure to extend the life of the hardwood flooring of your home.
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